This invention relates to a remote ordering system for a restaurant drive-through lane.
The drive-through lanes in many restaurants have added a very beneficial feature for both the consumer and the proprietor. The drive-through allows the proprietor to remain open longer, while the restaurant is being cleaned for the next day. The drive-through also allows more efficient handling of customers with a reduction in staff count.
The customer gets the benefit of staying in his or her vehicle while being serviced. This is especially important to young families and to those with mobility problems, such as the aged or infirm.
Drive-through lanes have been around for quite some time. However, in the typical drive-through lane, a customer places an order by speaking into a microphone to a an attendant. The quality of these microphones is generally poor, resulting in miscommunication and errors in the order. By the time the customer finds out about the error, he has already waited in line several minutes and must then wait several more minutes for a correct order to be filled. This results in the loss of customer goodwill.
A problem with previous drive-through ordering systems that do not use a microphone is that they require the customer to lean out of the vehicle to press a button on a menu or use a touch screen. This is awkward if not impossible for some people, such as very obese people. Also, this exposes the customer to rain, snow, etc. while the order is being placed. Generally speaking, there is no feedback as to the type, quantity, or total price of items ordered, and no capability to back up to correct an incorrectly-entered item.
There is a need for a remote ordering system for a drive-through lane that addresses the above problems. Additionally, the system should provide a completely transportable, hand-held remote device that can be assigned to customers who order frequently from the restaurant. Optimally, the device will have a customer identification which is transmitted with each order so that the restaurant can perform statistical analysis.